Buffalo Sabres’ Broadcaster
When people discuss names synonymous with the Buffalo Sabres franchise, a small list of individuals comes forward, and Rick Jeanneret is certainly on that list.
While attending a Niagara Falls Flyers Junior A game, Rick was asked to fill in when the regular announcer had taken ill. He went on to become the color analyst for one season before moving to the play-by-play position in 1965. Rick continued to hone his skills and became the play-by-play man for the Sabres minor league affiliate, the Cincinnati Swords, for the 1970-71 season. On October 10, 1971, Rick sat behind the radio microphone for the Sabres game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Memorial Auditorium, and he never looked back.
As the Sabres’ primary radio play-by-play broadcaster, Rick painted a picture for Sabres fans throughout Western New York. From the 1975 Stanley Cup playoffs in the fog, to Rick Martin’s 50 goal seasons, and the lightning rushes of the great Gilbert Perreault, Rick brought fans to their feet, even when they couldn’t see the game.
In 1995, Rick began to call the television broadcasts of Sabres games. Now behind the mic, and in front of the camera, Rick continued to raise the excitement level of Sabres fans everywhere, and has called the most exciting moments from the last days of the Aud, and now in the team’s current home, the First Niagara Center. With his style and flavor, he called the Sabres 1999 Stanley Cup quest, the numerous great performances of Dominik Hasek, and the “scary good” team of 2005-06.
If the ultimate compliment to an announcer is having your audience try to imitate your style, then Rick is the ultimate broadcaster. Whether it was “Wowie” Housley , Ooh la la Pierre, La La La La Fontaine, or the forever famous “May Day” goal, Jeanneret’s calls have been recreated for years by Sabres fans young and old.
Currently the longest-tenured broadcaster in hockey, Rick recently completed his 40th season behind the microphone for the Buffalo Sabres. For his dedication and excellence Rick was recognized by the team with induction into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame on November 8, 2011, and on a “May day” in 2012, Rick was presented with an honorary doctorate by Canisius College.
A native of St. Catharines, Ontario, Jeanneret currently resides in Niagara Falls, Ontario, with his wife, Sandra.